Without You
by crabbyabby3
Summary: Set three months after the war, this songfic to the song Without You from RENT focuses on the beautiful relationship between Peeta and Katniss. Even if you don't know the song, please R&R! You'll understand!


**Hey, it's crabbyabby3! This is my first Hunger Games fic, and after finishing Mockingjay last night, I felt very inspired to write this. This songfic centers around the last chapter. This is just a moment I felt was touched on in the story, but I am delving into it further. I hope you all like it, and please please PLEASE review! Thanks, and enjoy! Note: I do not own this song or the Hunger Games. :( I wish I did though!**

Without You

I wake up in bed, thrashing wildly and screaming. Before I can register what is happening, that it was all a dream, his arms are there, wrapping around me, pulling me to his chest, and wiping away my tears. "Shh, shh, Katniss, it's okay. It was just a dream. Shh." He tries to calm me. My sobs choke off, as I clutch his tee-shirt and take deep breaths. The nightmare was bad tonight. I dreamt of being tossed into an Arena, and winning the Hunger Games, and each time after I came out, someone I had killed would kill me. Right before I woke up, Prim had been the one stabbing me.

"When will they ever go away?" I ask desperately.

"Do you want the truth?" He asks, with a sad look in his eyes. "I always want the truth."

I close my eyes as he brushes a piece of hair behind my ear and whispers, "Never."

* * *

><p>It's been about three months since Peeta got back from the Capital. At first, he stayed in his house, and only came by for breakfast every morning. He and Greasy Sae got along quite well. Well, I guess anyone can get along quite well with Peeta. Three weeks after his return, he started coming over for breakfast, and stayed most of the day to help with the book. Slowly, I could see him returning to his old self. Every now and then, a particular memory would hit him, and he would get a flashback and not be functional for the rest of the day. Then, even if he acted normally all day, he would return to his home, and I would have to deal with my nightmares alone. When I first started the book, the nightmares worsened, because every little detail of the dead was coming back to me. The first week or so I comforted myself, but after a while I couldn't take it anymore.<p>

I knew Peeta was getting better now. I knew he could comfort me. So one night, I just ran, sobbing. I ran straight into his house, because I knew Peeta didn't lock his door. Even after everything we'd been through in this world, I knew Peeta still couldn't there was actually still danger out there. That just because we won the war, it meant we were going to be completely safe for the rest of his life.

I was wrong. When I ran into Peeta's house that night, I did not find him sleeping peacefully, as I had anticipated. I found him sitting in a chair in the corner, head down, either crying or talking to himself; I couldn't tell. Probably both.

"Peeta?" I said softly, as I stood in his living room.

He didn't turn, but said weakly, "Katniss. Please. Go. You'll only...hurt...yourself."

"No, Peeta, I want to help you."

He ignores that and asks, "Why did you come here?"

"I- I had a nightmare. But it's okay, I'm fine..." I trailed off, not wanting to say _you're the one we should be worried about. _

"Katniss! Just go." His voice was even weaker now, and I could see from his posture that he was having flashbacks. I walked to stand by his chair, and gripped his hand. He tried to get it out of my grip, but I was stronger than him right now. "I might hurt you Katniss. I feel like I'm slipping."

"You won't hurt me Peeta. You're stronger than that now. And it's okay. President Snow is dead. President Coin is dead. We are safe, and together." Peeta didn't say anything, but he stopped trying to break my grip and let his hand slip into mine. We stayed like that for a while, Peeta focusing on trying to get away from something only he could see, and me watching him. I whispered, "Does this happen every night, Peeta?"

Yes." He said softly.

I felt ashamed. Me, thinking I was going through something no one else should have to go through when Peeta was here all alone every night, fighting to stay in control of his mind. I realized I had said all of that out loud when people said, "No, Katniss, that's not true, you're nightmares are worse. I'm being ridiculous now, the things I am thinking of aren't even real and-" He stopped speaking as his eyes widened as he saw something I was oblivious too. He started mumbling words again, and I took his hand, knowing I wasn't helping either of us. we sat there for over thirty minutes, two children who had been thrust into an adult's game, and were now facing the effects.

Eventually, Peeta seemed to come back to reality, although he still looked shaken. "Sing to me." He said.

"What?" I asked. Peeta had never asked for me to sing to him before.

"Please, Katniss, just sing to me." He said. That face, of a broken boy, made my heart ache. I began to sing.

"_Without you, the ground falls, the grass grows._ _Without you, the seeds root, the flowers bloom, the children play._ _The stars gleam. The poets dream, the eagles fly, without you._ _The earth turns, the sun burns, but I die, without you._

"_Without you, the breeze warms, the girl smiles, the cloud moves._ _Without you, the tides change, the boys run, the oceans crash.'_ _The crowds roar, the days soar, the babies cry, without you._ _Life goes on, but I'm gone._ _Cause I die, without you."_

* * *

><p>I finished singing and looked up into Peeta's eyes.<p>

"Thank you." He said quietly.

"I love you." I said at the same time, even quieter. So quiet that I don't think he heard me.

Then I leaned even closer to him then I already was, closing my eyes, and Peeta closed his eyes and leaned towards me too. He must know when I'm about to kiss him from all the times when we kissed during the Hunger Games. Our lips met, and I was shocked. I was not expecting Peeta to kiss me. But I was fine with it.

Our kiss started out gentle, slow. Then Peeta's lips were fiercer, and I countered that by being twice as hungry. As we kissed, I thought about that night in Tigris' basement, and how Peeta and Gale had talked about me. Gale had said I would choose whichever one of them I needed to survive, and I knew I needed Peeta now. The man who would never desert me, the man who would put my problems before his, even if they weren't as bad. The man who comforted me when I had nightmares, the man who knew what I was thinking by one look, the man who saved me from suicide when I saw him with the primrose bushes that day. Peeta, the man who would keep me alive.

* * *

><p>When Peeta broke away from the kiss, I was worried I had gone too far. Maybe he wasn't healed yet. Maybe I made a mistake. Then, he pulled me to his chest, and I knew I didn't have to worry. Now, the man that stood in front of me was his old self. Peeta. We walked up the stairs and into his bedroom. I sit down on the bed carefully and say, "Peeta...If you wan't me to go..." I say, half-heartedly, not wanting to leave one bit.<p>

He makes no move to usher me out. Instead he kisses me again, softly, light. "Please don't leave, not now." He says. I nod, and lie back on his bed. He lies down next to me, and we kiss more. We don't go any further than that. The kisses are beautiful. Eventually, I fall asleep, and Peeta pretends to, but I can sense that he's not actually sleeping.

I have a nightmare that night, and when I wake up, thrashing and screaming for Prim to stop, his arms are there, wrapping around me, allowing me to survive.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, well I hope you guys liked this! The song was called Without You from the Broadway musical <em>RENT. <em>Anyway, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review! If this gets a good response, I might think about writing more Hunger Games stories! :)**


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